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VF has two workers center chapters: Racine and Milwaukee. Statewide membership. Youth chapter in Racine called “Students United for Immigrant Rights” (SUFRIR)Part of the Wisconsin Legalization Coalition representing 54 organizations including unions, religious organizations, community based organizations, student groups and small businesses. VF and Wisconsin Legalization Coalition are part of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) a national network of immigrant rights network that promotes community organizing. At the international level, VF is part of the Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras, a coalition that supports workers of transnational companies.

Citizenship classes are offered in Racine and Milwaukee.Labor Rights Workshops will be offered on a monthly basis starting in 2007. Topics include topics such as wage and hour, workers’ compensation, discrimination, sexual harassment.Legal clinic: Free consultation with volunteer attorneys in the areas of: workers’ compensation, labor law, immigration, family, criminal and traffic violations law.Leadership development through community organizing campaigns: legalization, access to higher education, workers’ rights, advocacy on SS no match letters, workers’ rights.OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) representative comes in once a month and provides consultation.If comfortable, tell a little about yourself.

Trade agreements are forcing small farmers, workers, and small business owners out of their country and there is a job market in the US.Globalization is the movement of companies, capital, services, goods and people across borders. This has led to the emergence of transnational corporations and regional free-trade markets such as the European Union, Mercosur (southern common market) includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) which includes Canada, US and Mexico and CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) which includes the Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the United States (signed 2003). Efforts to pass the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) a continent –wide free trade region from Alaska to Chile) have encountered fierce resistance.While most trade agreements include the free movement of companies, capital, goods and labor, treaties with the United States do no allow the free movement of labor.Despite the promise, NAFTA resulted in a net loss of jobs in Mexico and decline in wages. The near elimination of import restrictions on corn and other commodities resulted in dumped US corn flooding the Mexican market, forcing . Mexico now imports corn as opposed to exporting it. Agriculture was a big part of the Mexican economy.

Many US agribusiness multinationals also used NAFTA investment rules to buy corn-processing and tortilla making factories in Mexico. The cost of tortillas rose by more than 50% as prices paid to Mexican farmers for corn plummeted, “Rise in Tortilla Prices, NPR”, Jan 20, 2000Cost of basic food basket increased 257% 1994-2004

Though tremendously unreported, there is an impressive level of organizing in Mexico in response to these desperate circumstances.The quote on the left is by the EZLN (Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional), an armed peasant uprising in Chiapas, Mexico on the day that NAFTA was signed.There is a significant level of civic participation to achieve democratic elections in Mexico despite government corruption and US interference. For example, Council of Communication which includes multinational companies like Halliburton, Walmart, and Kraft were revealed to have funded illegal advertisement ads opposing the popular candidate Lopez Obredor as a “danger to Mexico” since he was opposed to further privatization efforts (such as the state owned oil company PEMEX) and renegotiating the terms of NAFTA. Organizing unions is very difficult. Most “unions” are run by the government or employers. In the 1990s, UNT was formed Mexican Workers Union (UNT), an independent national federation composed of unions that split from the traditional government controlled unions.

United States: NAFTA has also contributed to growing income inequality and decrease in wages for workers without a college degree who made up 72.1% of the workforce in 2001. Many of the new jobs are in the service sector which has seen job growth but is largely non-union. Threats of outsourcing and weak labor laws have led to a weakening at the bargaining table after NAFTA. In a Wall Street Journal survey in 1992 it was reported that ¼ of all corporate executives admitted that they were “very or somewhat likely” to use that threat. In a study of organizing drives from 1993-1995 more than 50% of all employers made that threat during organizing drives in mobile industries (such as apparel and textile, electronics components, metal fabrication). This number increased in the aftermath of NAFTA.Canada: Bruce Campbell of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reports, Canada's increased market integration with the United States began in 1989 with the bilateral Free Trade Agreement, the precursor to NAFTA. While trade and investment flows increased dramatically, per capita income actually declined for the first seven years after the agreement. Moreover, as in Mexico and the United States, Canadians saw an upward redistribution of income to the richest 20% of Canadians, a decline in stable full-time employment, and the tearing of Canada's social safety net. Source for job loss in US: Economic Policy Institute, “Rethinking NAFTA”, Sept. 2006:

In fact, there is a labor market for new immigrants, especially in future projections as the baby boomer generation retires.Unemployment: First half of ’06 was lowest unemployment rate in 6 years. Though, the impact of trade loss jobs, with higher wages and benefits, has had a disproportionate impact on minority communities. But this is not the fault of immigrant workers. Jobs: No net impact on unemployment rates. Their consumerism creates jobs in other areas such as automotive sales, electronic sales, hair cuts, restaurants, etc. They open small businesses that create jobs. In states with highest concentration of undocumented they have lower unemployment rates. Whose taking our best jobs? American companies that now are moving operations to China or other countries where they can get cheaper labor.

Maybe ask crowd to share some of the things they have heard about immigration/immigrants. If you ask that question, try to remember & record after the meeting any myths people have that are not covered in the presentation.SS suspense file: Since 1986, when the Immigration Reform and Control Act set penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, most such workers have been forced to buy fake ID's to get a job.

Don’t pay taxes: They pay income, property & sales taxes, Use ITIN (individual tax identification number) to pay taxes, Pay between $90-$140 billion a year in federal, state, and local taxes, In next 20 years will contribute $500 billion toward Social Security (which they will get none of back) avg. contribution of 7 billion a year. Welfare: Pay about $90-$140 billion a year in taxes Use around $5 billion in public benefits. This is primarily in the area of public education (K-12) and emergency medical care. When American’s retire they have Social Security. When undocumented immigrants are unable to work, they will have nothing.

This is not the solution because we are not addressing the root causes. People don’t come here willingly, risking robbery, rape, and death. The history of migration to US has largely been circular, the militarization of the border has forced people to settle in the US rather than risk the dangers of crossing again. The militarization of the border has resulted in a greater tax expense for American public and forced immigrants to take more dangerous routes. The root problem being, “WHY do they risk their lives and leave their family to come here?” and “How do we hold our own government accountable to foreign trade policies that contribute to massive poverty in Mexico and poverty in the US. Mexican government petitioned U.S. to renegotiate agriculture clause of NAFTA. U.S. refused. Forced to cross in Arizona-Sonora DesertHypothermia at night during the Fall/WinterHeat stroke/dehydration during Spring/SummerRobbery, rape, and kidnappingLies & desertion by smugglersAbuse, death from border patrol

Many of the vigilantes are ranchers from the area. (Click for first photo.) (Click for second photo.) They use dogs to find immigrants and “heard them up” much like sheep dogs do to sheep. The dogs have been known to bite. They have arms.SPLC has documented cases of murder and torture of immigrants by these vigilantes. Local law enforcement broke arrested Alabama militia at the end of April 2007 who were planning to murder Mexicans in a town north of Birmingham, AL They had the largest arms and bombs arsenal in Southern history (Democracy Now 2007). They were not sentenced as “domestic terrorists” but a much lesser sentence of a maximum of six months in jail if convicted.

Sensenbrenner who is the author of HR4437 has criticized companies that profit from exploitative working conditions who “make it cheaper to hire an illegal alien than a citizen or a legal alien”holds $86,500 in stocks of Halliburton. It was revealed in senate hearings that Halliburton used sub-contractors with perhaps thousands of undocumented workers as part of a no-bid federal contract in the post-Katrina devastated region. Halliburton was also awarded a $385 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security to build gigantic immigrant detention centers near the US –Mexico border. He also owns more than $563,536 in GE stocks. GE’s security unit is providing viedo surveillance and other electronic security systems on the border and contributed to Sensenbrenner through its employee PAC. Boeing, which recently secured a $2.5 billion contract order to install sensors, radar and cameras along the US is among the top contributors to Sensenbrenner’s PAC. Corrections and Geo are already running 8 out of 16 federal detention facilities. By Fall of 2007, Bush Adm expects that 27,500 immigrants will be in detention each night, an increase of 6,700 over the current number in custody. Private companies stand to profit the most. Wall Street has taken notice of potential growth, sock of Corrections Corp. Climbed to $53.77 from $42.50 (27% increase) since February when Bush, proposed adding spending to immigrant detention. Geo’s stock rose about 68% in the same period to $39.24 from $23.36.Pew: need from more prison space not a result of increased migration as the number of unauthorized immigrants is down by 50,000 a year from the 1990s. Increase in detention spending is due to plans to detain more immigrants in the US, expected increase of detention on the border, and detaining more immigrants from outside of Mexico.

There are no legal channels. In the 1800s all you had to do to become a US citizen was to come to the shores of the United States. For most of the history of the USA, migration has been a simple process. Over time restrictions have been placed on different groups for example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and restrictions on Japanese migration were clearly racist in nature. Other affected groups include: the Irish Catholics (No Irish need apply signs), Southern and Eastern Europeans, and Jews. Recent groups include Haitians who were denied political refugee status by the US government in the 1980s. Quotas were established restricting numbers from Latin America over time:1965: 20,000 for each country in Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific & Middle East1968: 120,000 for Canada and countries in Latin America, and the Caribbean 1976: 20,000 for every country. This led to legal immigration from Mexico to fall by 40%. 1990: 480,000 reduced family immigration visas1996: Raised income threshold for family based sponsorship Backlog/Wait time for immigrant visas5-20 yearsUnrealistically low number of visas (for family & employment) for certain countries for low-wage workers in the US economy. More than 50% of the agricultural workforce is undocumented and key sectors depend on immigrant labor: hotels and restaurants, construction, meatpacking, landscaping, dairy, and temporary agencies that are sub-contracted to a host of companies. Jobs:140,000 minimum/yearUnskilled workers eligible for 37,380 In 2005, individuals from Mexico received 437Worldwide only 975 issued in 2005Wait is 7+ yearsFamily sponsorship: IN 1996 Congress changed laws (took away 245i) so that family members who were waiting for their paperwork to be processed had to leave the country. Given the years it takes to be processed, families cannot economically or financially afford to be separated and are now living in fear as their lived ones after 1996 are now “illegal” and are threatened with deportation.

Increased quotas from key countries which we have economic integration with. A legalization process that includes- a certain level of English competency, knowledge of civics (US history and government), background check, and processing fees. Restores family unity (245i). Has a path to eventual citizenship after achieving lawful permanent status.

Membership: $5/yr. Take a serious role in organization’s activities and committees. Gives right to vote on projects & membership’s representatives’ elections. Monthly optional/informational meeting

4.
Why do Immigrants Come Here?
The way our global economy is
structured
− First year of NAFTA in Mexico: 80,000 manufacturing
jobs created and one million agricultural jobs lost
− Since then, 2 million small farmers forced out of work
due to subsidized US agribusiness exports
− Around 28,000 small and medium-sized
businesses have been eliminated due to
Mega-retailers (such as Wal-Mart) moving into
Mexican market(3)
NAFTA
passed in 1994

5.
Devastating Effects of NAFTA on Mexico
•Currently, 2,826 maquiladoras, US owns
79%. 300,000 manufacturing jobs at US
multinational companies in Mexico moved
to China (2003). (4)
•No enforcement labor, safety
regulations or environmental standards for
U.S manufacturing factories. (5)
•19 million more Mexicans living in
poverty today than in 1994 (6)
•Forced migration: 2.5 million Mexican
undocumented in 1995; as of 2006, an
additional 8 million crossed the border. (7)

6.
Myths Cont…
“Today we say
• No motivation in Mexico to
enough! …we call
on all our brothers
and sisters to join
change the country us on the only path
that will allow us to
escape starvation
• EZLN
caused by the
insatiable ambition
of a seventy-year-
old dictatorship…
• Civic campaigns for ready to sell out
our country.”
democratic elections (8) New Year’s Day
1994—
• UNT –national independent
Declaration of the
Lacandonal
Jungle by
union federation (9) Subcomandante
Marcos of the
EZLN on the day of
the signing of
NAFTA

7.
Impact of NAFTA on US and Canada
– Since NAFTA, 2.5 million
manufacturing jobs were lost
nationwide in the US. (10)
– Wisconsin was one of the 10 worst
hit states as a total share of jobs
losing 25,403 jobs and counting.
(11)
– According to DOL, two years after
losing their jobs: 1/3 held new jobs
that paid as well, 1/3 earned 15-
20% less, 1/3 dropped out of labor
force (12)

8.
Impact of NAFTA on US and Canada
– More than 38,000 US small farms
have gone out of business as a
result of NAFTA and overall US
farm income has declined (13)
– In Canada, a decade of
competition with the United
States is eroding social
investment in public spending on
education, unemployment
compensation, and other public
services. (13)

10.
Myths cont.
• Immigrants take jobs from The great
enemy of
American workers the truth is
very often
• 4.5% unemployment in US(15) not the lie --
deliberate,
• States with higher contrived
and
concentration of dishonest --
but the
undocumented have lower myth --
persistent,
unemployment (16) persuasive
and
• Create jobs (17) unrealistic.
–John F.
Kennedy

11.
Myths
• Immigrants don’t pay taxes quot;Our assumption is
that about three-
• Contribution to Social Security:
quarters of other-
than-legal
immigrants pay
$189 billion worth of wages payroll taxes,quot;
said Stephen C.
recorded in the suspense file Goss, Social
Security's chief
actuary, using the
over the 1990's, two and a half agency's term for
illegal
immigration.
times the amount of the 1980's.
(18)
• $7 billion in annual Social Security
tax revenue and about $1.5
billion in Medicare taxes. (19)

13.
Myths Cont…
• Increased border patrol is the
solution
– From ’86-’98, border patrol’s budget
increased six-fold & number of agents
stationed at border doubled to 8,500
while undocumented immigration
population doubled at same time.
During 80s apprehension rate was 33%,
in 2002 it was 5% “We must
learn to live
– Since 1995, the number of dead on the together as
brothers [and
border has doubled from 254 in 1998 to sisters] or
perish
472 in 2005 together as
fools.”
–Martin
Luther King,
Jr.

14.
Life on the Border
• Armed Vigilantes
– Bodies found with gunshot wounds
or bludgeoned
“ If our government doesn’ t help us
boot ‘ em,
I guess we’ ll just have to up and shoot
‘ em!”

15.
Who profits?
• Companies such as Halliburton, GE, “we’re asking
you to come
Lockheed, Boeing back and tell
us how to do
• For profit prisons: Corrections our business…
Corporation of America, the Geo We’re inviting
you to tell us
Group, and Texas based Cornell how to run our
organization.”
• Politicians with shares in companies
that benefit from the Deputy Director of
DHS, Michael
criminalization and detention of
Jackson speaking
to more than 400
defense
the undocumented. contractors and
industrialists,
Jan. 25, 2006

16.
The System is Broken
• We have a discriminatory quota
system from certain countries
• Work visas primarily for well
educated immigrants
• Prior legal channels of migration
have been taken away by
Congress
quot;We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable
rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.” –Declaration of Independence

19.
US Citizenship: Who else has
been excluded?
All treaties were broken

20.
Chinese Exclusion Act
In a Thomas Nast cartoon from 1879, an Indian warns a Chinese immigrant Yellow Peril (or
about the white solutions to quot;the Chinese problem.quot; Oregon Yellow Terror) was
convention delegates prohibited Chinese from voting and outlawed a racist color
Chinese new to the state from owning property or mining claims. metaphpr fpr
(Image courtesy assumption.edu) Chinese and
Japanese
immigrants in the
late nineteenth to
mid-20th century.
It was believed
that the mass
immigration of
Asians threatened
white wages and
standards of
living.

21.
Slavery in America
This 1774
broadside,
typical of the
advertisement
s used in the
North as well
as the South
before the
Civil War,
advertises the
sale of slaves
and land, the
availability of
employment
for an
overseer, a
recall of debts,
and a reward
for anyone
who captured
two runaway
slaves.

22.
Southern and Eastern Europeans
This 1891 cartoon
expresses the views
of those opposed to
immigration into the
USA.
The politician is
telling Uncle Sam
that quot;If immigration
was properly
restricted you
would no longer be
troubled with
anarchy, socialism,
the Mafia, and such
kindred evils!'quot;
Captions on
immigrants in the
picture label them
:Polish vagabond,
Italian brigand,
English convict,
Russian anarchist,
Irish pauper.

23.
Irish Go Home
This cartoon, published in the 1880s, reinforces
the stereotype of the Irishman as a combative
troublemaker. Uncle Sam reprimands him,
quot;Look here, you, everybody else is quiet and
peaceable, and you're all the time a-kicking
up a row!quot; The editorial that accompanied
the cartoon asserted: quot;the raw Irishman in
America is a nuisance, his son a curse. They
never assimilate; the second generation
simply shows an intensification of all the bad
qualities of the first. . . .They are a burden and
a misery to this country.quot;

24.
Impact of Raids on children
A new report Injustice
Paying the Price: The Impact of Immigration Raids on America's Children released
by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Urban Institute found that for anywhere is
every two people detained in immigration enforcement operations, one child is a threat to
left behind. Two-thirds of these children are U.S. citizens and a similar share is
under age ten. justice
everywhere.
Mental health experts noted that children's and parents' fears and the events
surrounding the raids led to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation
anxiety, and suicidal thoughts in children.
Martin Luther King

25.
Impact of raids on workers
• The Bay Guardian on June 13, 2007 revealed
that Samuel Hardage – owner of the Woodfin
Suites hotel chain – used his political influence to
have Congressman Brian Bilbray persuade the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Agency to investigate his very own hotel and
workers during a workplace organizing
campaign, despite ICE’s written policy not to
intervene in labor disputes.
• UFCW union organizing drive in meatpacking
plants targeted for ICE raid this year.
• ICE official quoted as referring to Know Your
Rights Training as “harboring” illegals.
• ICE conducted raid in 2006 pretending to be
OSHA at a workpace training.

26.
The Rise of Nativism today
Nativism:
1 : a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to
immigrants
2 : the revival or perpetuation of an indigenous culture especially
in opposition to acculturation.
Xenophobia: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of
anything that is strange or foreign is a fear of negative attitude
toward immigrants, an
This is often catalyzed by other things happening in the society
at the time (economic insecurity, demographic changes,
political)
The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented a 40
percent increase in the number of hate groups since 2000, an
increase that SPLC analysts attribute to the anti-immigrant
fervor sweeping the country.
The FBI recently released statistics showing a 35 percent rise in
hate crimes against Latinos since 2003.

28.
Solutions
• Legal channels for migration
to address the current
population & future flows
• Fix the broken immigration
system in a way that is family
centered and realistic
• Enforceable environmental &
labor protections for trade
agreements (NAFTA & CAFTA)
• Strong labor protections
regardless of immigration
status

29.
What you can do
• Become an active member of VF
• Attend town halls
• Refer VF for speaking engagements
• Contact community leaders & legislators
• Vote
• Participate in rallies and marches
• Write editorials to the paper
• Make a donation “Our lives
• Host a movie and discussion begin to end
the day we
• Participate in a border tour become silent
• Become active in your labor union about things
that matter.”
• Encourage your church join the New
Sanctuary movement -Martin Luther
King, Jr.